Photogs Who Are Jerks (plus Sweet Babyism)

Hi, my Darling,

Happy Late Night. I am feeling better today, and I hope I will have no more of those symptoms. The gas leak is supposed to be fixed by late February, so they say, and we are all hoping they'll be right. I think, for me anyway - down here in Northridge and Reseda - it has something to do with the wind. It was very windy on Sunday when I started to have trouble breathing. In those videos that show the gas plume, it seems to go upwards mostly (although of course it still spreads), but when the wind blows, and it always blows south here, in the direction of Northridge, I think it blows all that stuff in our direction. I think that's what happened Sunday. I was fine, watching the Super Bowl, and then I went home and went on my walk in the wind.

And then, whammo. I got sick.

But I am better now, and hope to stay that way. I hope you had a good day. I saw your post from Emily Tebbetts, and though it was about her Mom, I took it as a Sweet Baby post. I hope I got it right.  :)

I also saw your post about the concert photographer. That was right on the money. I have only once ever been in a photo pit (in front of the stage with the crowd barrier behind you). My single experience was at an AC/DC concert with Fastway opening. Fastway was Fast Eddie's band after he left Motorhead. Anyway, I was gonna shoot them, not AC/DC. It was arranged by my friend Jon, as always in those days. The concert was at The Forum, where the Lakers played and which in those days was the main concert arena for the big bands. So there I was in the photo pit, with my pass clipped to my shirt, and the coast was clear........

Almost. It had looked like I was gonna be the only shooter in the pit - it was the opening band, after all - and they had told me "you've got three songs" which is usually the limit. So I was all ready to shoot my three songs worth, when all of a sudden appeared a guy with a big bag over his shoulder and a ton of camera gear. Just one guy, but he was loaded to the gills with equipment, and here's me with just my Canon AE-1 in hand.

The guy never said a word to me, but was just as rude if not more so than the jerk in your FB photographer's story. The Forum stage is big, arena sized, and there were only two of us there, plenty of room for both, but this guy made a point to stand next to me, or in front of me, crowding me, arms outstretched with Humongous Camera Lens in my view......

He purposely crowded my space, crowded my view and crowded me out. Even though we were the only two people there, and even though there was room for both of us at center stage.

He was a typical LA photographer type, and we are talking Paparratzi and News photogs and some concert photogs. Type A aggressive jerks all.

I wound up not getting a single good shot of Fastway in concert.

But after the show, Jon got us backstage. We got to meet Angus for a quick hello, and then I got to take some shots of a whole bunch of people all posing at once, in a line : Fast Eddie, his singer, local radio DJ Samantha Fox, and Brian May of Queen.

Jerk photographer was nowhere to be seen.

I will post one of those photos one of these days, but the FB photographer's story reminded me of the concert, and if you ever run into a guy like that, just keep working. You have already had more experience shooting from the stage and around it than I ever had, and as you know there is a ton of room for everybody.

I think that guys like that are threatened by anyone who might get a better shot than they can, which means that they don't have any confidence in their shots, or that they see it as a competition.

It isn't. Always remember that. It's never about you vs. other photographers. Other photographers at concerts do not exist as far as you are concerned.

It's all about you and the band onstage, period. Your shots are not commerce (though they will hopefully make you some money).......

Your shots instead are intent on capturing what you are seeing and feeling as you watch the band and hear the music.

At a rock concert, this is all happening at once. The band is playing, and moving, and lights are flashing and changing in shape, pattern and colors, and you are both an audience member and photographer at the same time.

A lot of these so-called Pro Photogs couldn't care less about a band they are shooting. And don't get me wrong, a pro is a pro and can get some good shots too.

But a meaningful shot is even better than a good one, and that happens like in your behind-the-band shots of Versus Me at that outdoor show last year, where you captured great angles and poses of James with the big crowd sprawled out before him.

Those are meaningful shots, because they capture a feeling and tell a story all at once.

The moral of the story is "haha, jerk photogs. You are still uncool no matter how pushy you are".

Plus, if you're nice, you wind up meeting a whole lot more bands and musicians that way.  :)

Sorry to get off on such a tangent, but the FB story reminded me of that Fastway incident.

I sure had fun in the 80s going to those shows and interviews with Jon.

I see you have the Trivium show coming up, and I hope you have other things in the works. I am sure you do. Post when you can, cause it enables me to respond and therefore have something to write about. Other than that, things are just going along as usual. The Kobester is doing well. I have seen three movies from Redbox in the last week : "Truth" (which I mentioned), "Bridge Of Spies" (very good) and "Sicario" (well done if a bit Hollywoodised and unrealistic in places).

So there you have it! Everything is up to date.

I will see you in the morning, Sweet Baby. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Super Bowl + Gas Leak

Happy Late Night, my Darling,

I'm just checking in to say hi. Not a lot to report today except Super Bowl. It was a pretty good game, but with a lot of mistakes by both teams, and it turned out how I expected, with Denver winning over Cocky Cam and his Carolinians. The halftime show with Coldplay was your basic Super Bowl Spectacle. I thought Lady Gaga was better with her fairly straightforward version of the National Anthem. She can certainly belt it out and has an excellent voice.

We had good singing in church this morn, and an abbreviated practice afterwards due to it being Super Sunday.

I am experiencing another episode of shallow breathing tonight, this one a bit more unpleasant than the last. I don't know what happened - I was talking a lot during the game, and so when my throat tightened up afterward, I thought that was the reason : too much yakking, and also I was running on little sleep. It wasn't a sore throat and I wasn't sick, but it was more like the muscles in my throat were sore or strained. But then I went on my walk and when I got back, I had that same "1960s smog alert" shallow breathing, and this time accompanied by a runny nose for a few minutes (sorry about the grossness). By the time I got back to Pearl's it was pretty bad, definitely worse than the last episode I had like this. It's gotta be the methane leak, but it's been fairly windy the last few days and you'd think that would blow it all away.

All I know is that my breathing has always been fine until recently, when this gas leak started. I've heard other people coughing, too, and law firms are sending out big mailing cards with all the info for a class action suit. I am not normally a person to join things like that, unless I was in Porter Ranch and lost my home, but this is getting ridiculous. I feel like I am getting poisoned. I mean - don't worry cause it's not that bad - but it still sucks, and how bad is bad, anyway? Poison can be ingested in small doses, too, and that's what this feels like.

I am not a lawsuit person, but this methane situation - which I live just three to four miles from - is really bad, and it was caused by negligence on the part of SoCal Gas. It's been going on for over 100 days now. I think I speak for everyone in Porter Ranch and perhaps some Northridgers too, when I say I hope they get a humongous judgement against them, and I hope they are forced to shut down that entire mountain.

I hate to be a complainer because it's not my nature, but this sucks, not being able to breathe properly.

Well, rant over. Sorry about that. Other than the irritated throat and lungs, everything is good. I hope your day was good, too. I know you went to a show last night, so I am sure you got good pix.

I will rest up tonight and hope to feel better in the morning, and I will see you then.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Good Job On New Video (plus Super Bowl & Kid Rock)

Happy Late Saturday Night, Sweet Baby,

Hey, I just saw your video for your new version of "Across The Sea". It's really good! It looks like you are playing your new keyboard - wow, the bottom end sounds fantastic; nice deep low notes with a rich timbre. I bet you are super happy with it! Also, your playing is really fluid, with a solid tempo and good dynamics. It's a beautiful piece of music, and I hope you are continuing to write. Given all the other projects and activities you have going, I can imagine it would be difficult to slot time in for writing music, but on the other hand, you wouldn't have purchased the new keyboard if you weren't gonna put it to use.  :)

You know, I just now saw that you had a new video, and I saw it because there was a little number "1" posted next to your name on my Youtube subscriptions. I see you posted it three days ago.

I also like the way you arranged the frame, with a short section of vine and leaves hanging from the top.....

A nice touch.

Yes, keep writing I say. And remember, with time management you can fit everything in. Plus, you can compose in your head at anytime, and then come back to work it out later.

Today was a busy one, which is to say normal. I drove out to Burbank to take my sister Sophie shopping, then was back to Pearl's, with a little time this evening for my walk. Tomorrow will be church and singing in the morning, Super Bowl in the afternoon. I don't have a stake in the game, although I'd prefer if Denver wins just because it's probably Peyton Manning's last game. Also, I don't really like Cam Newton and the Panthers. The Super Duper Bowl has become a bit ridiculous in recent years, what with the halftime spectacles and all, and last year it was even a phony baloney game, with Pete Carroll throwing it to the hated Brady and his Pats in the final seconds. So, I don't take it seriously anymore (unless the Rams are in it), but I'll have fun watching.

I saw your post with all of the guitar acrobats flailing about, and that is indeed some funny stuff. Listen fellas, you may wanna invest in some locking guitar straps before you make like Yngwie Malmsteen and toss your axe behind your back........and also, watch where you are sitting......or standing.....or just what you are doing in general.

I forgot to mention that Kid Rock called me the other day. He was upset that I didn't include him in my short list of Worst Musicians. I immediately smacked myself for forgetting and apologised, but he wasn't very forgiving. I have always admired his ability to hang in there with the cream of the crummy, and I hope he'll ultimately understand that......

I hope you had a good time at your concert tonight. I will be around early, before church, and then back at the usual time (1pm) after choir practice.

See you in the morning. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Make A Scene (plus Tarkovsky and ICP, Bieber and all the rest)

Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,

Tonight was movie night at CSUN, and we saw Tarkovsky's first feature : "Ivan's Childhood", made in 1962 when he was 30 years old. I have this film on dvd (Criterion), and I had watched it about two years ago. Just seeing it on a TV set, I thought it was a great work, but tonight after seeing it on a movie screen, I think it's one of the greatest films ever made. Certainly, it has got to be the greatest black and white film ever shot, or maybe tied with "Eraserhead" by Lynch. The setting is a nightmare-scape war zone in WW2, next to a lake. Most of the film is set at night, and the tones he gets in the b&w grey scale are off the charts. The camera movement is phenomenal as well, and his use of camera tells the story as much or even more so than the minimal dialogue.

I was blown away, and would now put it in my all-time Top 20 movies, maybe even higher. The subject matter is grim - a young boy whose family has been killed by the Germans works now as a scout for the Russian army - but it is not a "war film" per se. It's actually an art film about the effect of war on children, and it incorporates all kinds of dream imagery and use of nature, including some amazing shots of white trees inside a birch forest. Just an incredible film all the way around.

I hope you had a nice day. I saw your post of James singing the Bieber song, and - despite the source material, haha - I must say that he has a very good voice, which seems suited for pop stylings. He has all the phrasings down for that kind of style, even though I am guessing he normally sings in a heavier way.

Still and all, you knew you'd get me with the Bieber angle. And you did.

ICP are still the Champions Of Obnoxiousness, however, with Bieber and Fred Durst running neck and neck for second place. You'd have to get up early every day and practice to be worse than Limp Bizkit, and I'm not sure any band is that dedicated. With the Beeb it seems to come naturally; he doesn't have to work at it, and Insane Clown Posse are The Beatles of Bad. No one else is on their level, nor will anyone ever be.

Your friends, though, certainly have good senses of humor, from James to Sarah and her boyfriend, to Justin and many more.

Way back when, I always thought nothing could be worse than Elvis Costello or The Clash, but then records are made to be broken, so they say.......  :)

Keep documenting all the bands and "characters" in bands in your area. That is what happened in New York with the punk movement and clubs like CBGBs, and also in LA with the whole punk/New Wave/avant garde scene in the 70s and into the Hair Metal scene in the 80s.

A music scene needs Stars, and Stars are made just by somebody taking the reins and declaring themselves to Be A Star.

Alice Cooper, whose birthday is today, was just some dude from Phoenix who ran track at his high school in the early 60s. In school, he met Dennis Dunaway, another track athlete, and in their teens they plotted to form a rock band......but not just any band. They wanted to be Stars.

Stars need Local Characters to become them. And they need photographers and filmmakers and writers to document them. That is how a Scene is created, simply just by Declaring Itself.

And a Music Scene can happen anywhere. It isn't limited to LA or New York. Those are just gathering places, where the music business used to operate, and of course our structures (clubs, fan bases, etc) are still in place, but a Scene can happen anywhere.

It takes assertion, and characters (who also are talented, like James) who are willing to become tomorrows Rock Stars and Artists. And it takes someone to document the whole thing, to say, This Scene Is Happening.

Just keep documenting all the local stuff, along with your regular work. Look for personalities and characters to make a Scene.

That's all I know for tonight. I will see you in the morning. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Another Good Connection :)

Happy Late Night, my Darling,

I saw your post this morning about M83. That would be awesome if you got a tryout! I had not heard of them before, but it looks like they have quite a following. By your comment ("why not"?) I am guessing you sent or are gonna send some samples of your music, singing and playing? You could certainly handle the gig, and it would be great to get a callback. I will be keeping my fingers crossed, of course, and I think it's also great that your name is getting out there, and your work, as with Lou Brutus.

Because you are an all around Artist, that gets you noticed when your name is repeatedly heard or seen. It sets you apart from someone who just plays an instrument, per se (not that there's anything wrong with just playing an instrument, haha). But if your name and face begin to register with people in influential positions, after a while they can take notice and say, "who is this girl, I thought she was a videographer. Oh, she's a musician, too, and a singer".....

So it's all about just getting a foot in the door, and you have already wedged it open with your videos.

I am glad you have other shows coming up, and maybe potential clients, too, and I see that your friend Sarah's band is playing a show as well. So the year is starting to roll.

Everything is good here, the Kobedog is more or less back to normal (albeit still 16 years old), and we took him to Reseda Park this evening as the Sun was setting. Earlier this afternoon I watched a movie called "Truth" with Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett about the George Bush/National Guard scandal, which I had sort of forgotten about because with him and his administration, there were so many negative things happening or being uncovered that it was hard to keep track of 'em all. Dan Rather, one of the most respected news anchors in TV history, lost his job over the reporting of the story.

It's a tremendous movie and highly recommended.

Well, I am tired again, working a lot these days, but trying to squeeze in all the usual stuff I always do.

I will see you in the morning. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Great Connection! (plus domino effect + Andes)

Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,

I was just Googling Lou Brutus, and I see that he's a well-known radio personality, who - it says on Wiki - has helped break several famous bands. So that is awesome news that he posted your Fall ll Rise video! All you (and the band) need is just for a domino to fall, for his push to get someone else of influence to take notice. As I've said, you've already got the goods, production-wise. You know how to make professional music videos top-to-bottom, all aspects of the craft, so all you need is the push.

Great news, I say! The band should follow up on it (i.e. contact him again, and others too) and I am sure they know that.

I also saw the pic of your friend hiking in the Andes. Man, that would be awesome, except in my case I would skip the balancing-on-one-foot-on-top-of-a-rock-right-next-to-a-several thousand foot drop off, lol. I need at least ten feet between me and the cliff, but it would indeed be incredible to hike in a place like that. I am still wanting to do Mount Lukens, which is on the other side of the Valley in Sunland. It's over 5000 feet and would be almost double my highest climb yet. But that is gonna hafta wait a while with my job the way it is. Also, that kind of hike - major league strenuous - is something I would not undertake alone. And unfortunately I don't know anyone to come with me.......

But yeah, the Andes. It reminds me of all those sites I read about in my book "Axis Of The World" by Igor Witkowski, which I mentioned in a blog a couple years ago - Macchu Picchu and others, which I'd have to look up because I can't recall the names. But you know the ones I mean, with all of the very advanced stone work that indicated precision machining, all those centuries ago........

Well, my Darling, that's all I know for tonight. I am tired this eve, having trouble keeping my eyes open haha. Not much sleep last night, but today I took Kobi to Northridge Park for a 45 minute walk. Watched an episode of "Combat" this eve, directed by Robert Altman, with great b&w photography.

See you in the morning. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxox  :):)

Pop Art + Hillary & Bernie

Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,

I hope you had a nice day. I see that you have a show of some type coming up, the post only came up once so I don't recall the name of the band (or if it was a multi-band thing or radio station showcase), but it was listed in a "planning to attend" post on FB for February 6, I believe. A new client, maybe? I will keep my fingers crossed.

I also saw your photo of Tristan. You remarked about your use of bold, colorful backgrounds recently, and I like it. It reminds me of the concept of Pop Art in the 1960s, which also made use of bold colors and things like Day-Glo, spiral patterns and geometric frameworks in artwork, distinctive makeup, and just all kinds of eye catching motifs.

I think it's a good idea that once you start exploring a style, to keep doing it for a while and see where it leads you. It doesn't mean you have to exclude all the other photographic modes you are working with, but if you have discovered something you like, it is good to see what you can do with it.

Yeah, Pop Art in the '60s just exploded, and suddenly - about late 1967 or so - the patterns, colorings, fonts and other stylings were everywhere - in print ads, in photos (advertising, fashion), on album covers. I loved that look as a kid, and it was part of what made the '60s so exciting.

Things need a look, y'know?  :)

So keep exploring. You could add all kinds of backgrounds and set dressings, including hand drawn, hand painted or created.

Plot things out in your head, even if the ideas are not feasible at the moment (and some that are feasible, too), and just see where you can go with them. Think like a graphic artist. What if you were creating an album cover for a band and wanted to really make it stand out; what would you see in your head?

This is a good "thought experiment" kind of thing, and it's kind of like storyboarding in the movies. It helps you to visualise stuff.

At any rate, I hope things are going well. The current FB setup has made it very difficult to see posts, and thus to communicate, but I am trying and will continue to, if you want me to.

The last couple days have been cold and windy in The 'Ridge. Good singing in church yesterday. Tonight we watched "X-Files" and followed the Iowa caucuses. I kinda figured Bernie Sanders was gonna do well there because Iowa is usually pretty liberal on the Democratic side and it's also iconoclastic because it votes first and so the people there have a chance to make a statement. I know a lot of young people are for Bernie (you may be yourself), and it is good that his ideas are being heard (see Jerry Brown in 1992), but in the long run I am hoping that Hillary will win the nomination (if you are a Bernie fan, then sorry about that).

I just think that we need the Clinton Experience Factor, and we are gonna need a strong candidate to defeat Trump (who, despite Cruz this evening, will be the nominee), and besides all of that I am just plain not a socialist. Socialism as a whole can only work in smaller, ethnically homogenous countries where everybody is on the same page. Now, we already have had many socially oriented policies in America for decades (see Franklin D Rooseveldt). But to try and run the whole country that way, all in one fell swoop, ain't gonna happen. The corporations would fight back so hard it would make Bernie's head spin, and I'm sure he is aware of that. So, as Hillary says, in America change has got to come in increments. That's because we have truly immense power in this country, and that means also - besides money - police and military power. And if there ever was a push-comes-to-shove situation here, as we have seen in China in 1989 and also in Russia under Putin, then the powers that be (Democratic or Republican makes no difference) would use extraordinary measures to shut things down.

But if you change things incrementally, with diplomacy, without alienating your opponents (in this case the powers that be), than you can indeed make things better in America. You can do it by working within the system, but a revolution is never gonna happen here, not in the near future anyway. So thanks to Bernie for the good ideas and moral support, but.....Go Hillary.

And it's long past time we had a woman President anyway.

Well, that's all I know for tonight. Post if you can, if you feel like it and when you get the chance.

See you in the morning. I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)